Construction Takeoff Glossary
Plain definitions of the US construction terms estimators and contractors use on plans and takeoffs, with formulas and worked examples.
Takeoff (quantity takeoff)
A takeoff, or quantity takeoff, is the list of quantities measured off a set of plans: linear feet of wall, square feet of floor, counts of fixtures and openings. Estimators price those quantities to build a bid or estimate. Doing it on screen from a PDF instead of with a scale ruler on paper prints is called a digital takeoff.
What is a takeoff in construction?Linear foot
A linear foot (LF) is a straight-line measurement of one foot, 12 inches, along a length, regardless of width or height. Contractors use it for anything bought or installed by length: baseboard, trim, gutters, fence, wall framing, form edge and carpet roll.
What is a linear foot?Square foot versus square yard
A square foot (sq ft) is the area of a square one foot on each side. A square yard (sq yd) is a square one yard on each side, so 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft. Most US trades measure and price by the square foot; flooring dealers often price carpet by the square yard.
What is the difference between a square foot and a square yard?Board foot
A board foot (BF) is a volume of lumber equal to a board 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 12 inches long, which is 144 cubic inches. Hardwood and large timbers are priced by the board foot. Framing lumber is usually ordered by the piece and length instead.
What is a board foot?Cubic yard
A cubic yard (cu yd) is a volume equal to a cube one yard on each side, which is 27 cubic feet. Concrete, gravel, fill and mulch are ordered by the cubic yard, and crews usually just say yards, as in six yards of concrete.
What is a cubic yard?Roofing square
A roofing square is 100 sq ft of roof surface. Shingles, underlayment and metal roofing are ordered by the square, and architectural shingles typically come three bundles to the square. Squares are measured on the sloped roof surface, not the flat plan area, so the roof pitch matters.
What is a roofing square?Roof pitch and pitch factor
Roof pitch is how many inches a roof rises for every 12 in of horizontal run, written as rise/12, so 6/12 rises 6 in per foot. The pitch factor is the multiplier that turns flat plan area into the true sloped surface area you order materials for.
What is roof pitch and what is a pitch factor?Architect scale (1/4" = 1'-0")
1/4" = 1'-0" is an architect scale: every quarter inch on the sheet equals one foot on the building, a ratio of 48 to 1. It is the usual scale for US floor plans. Larger buildings often use 1/8" = 1'-0" (96 to 1), and details use bigger scales like 1/2" or 3/4".
What does 1/4" = 1'-0" mean on a plan?Engineer scale (1" = 20')
1" = 20' is an engineer scale: one inch on the sheet equals 20 feet on the ground, a ratio of 240 to 1. Engineer scales are used on site, civil and landscape plans. Other common ones are 1" = 10', 30', 40', 50' and 60'.
What does 1" = 20' mean on a site plan?ARCH D sheet
ARCH D is the US architectural sheet size of 24 x 36 in, the most common full-size sheet for construction plans. The ARCH series also includes ARCH C (18 x 24 in), ARCH E (36 x 48 in) and ARCH E1 (30 x 42 in), the last two for larger projects.
What is an ARCH D sheet?On-center spacing (16" O.C.)
On-center (O.C.) spacing is the distance from the center of one framing member to the center of the next. 16 in O.C. is the standard for wall studs, and 24 in O.C. is also used. Measuring center to center keeps the edges of 4x8 sheets landing on framing.
What does 16" on center mean?Waste factor
A waste factor is the percentage added to a measured quantity to cover cuts, offcuts, breakage and mistakes. It is applied after the takeoff: measured quantity x (1 + waste) = order quantity. Simple layouts often take about 10 percent; cut-up roofs and diagonal or herringbone tile take 15 to 20 percent.
What is a waste factor in construction?Drywall sheet count
Drywall sheet count is the number of sheets needed to cover the walls and ceilings, worked out from measured surface area, sheet size and a waste factor. A 4x8 sheet covers 32 sq ft, a 4x10 covers 40 sq ft and a 4x12 covers 48 sq ft. Always round up to whole sheets.
How do you count drywall sheets from plans?Plan set (sheet index)
A plan set is the full collection of drawings for a project, organized by discipline with a letter at the start of each sheet number: A for architectural, S for structural, M for mechanical, E for electrical and P for plumbing. C (civil) and L (landscape) also appear. The sheet index on the cover lists every sheet.
What is a plan set and how is it organized?Addendum and revision cloud
An addendum is a formal change to the bid documents issued before bids are due, and it becomes part of the contract. A revision cloud is the scalloped outline drawn around whatever changed on a sheet, usually tagged with a delta triangle and revision number, so bidders can find the change fast.
What is an addendum and what is a revision cloud?Bid versus estimate versus quote
An estimate is your calculated cost to do the work. A bid is the formal price you submit to win a job, usually to a GC or owner in competitive work. A quote is a fixed price for a defined item, used mostly by suppliers and on small jobs. All three start from a takeoff.
What is the difference between a bid, an estimate and a quote?
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